The Ekurhuleni metro has recorded close on R800-million a year in non-technical electricity losses, caused by, among other factors, illegal power connections.
Subsequently, the metro has undertaken rolling operations of disconnecting illegal connections and arresting suspected syndicates.
Close to 30 arrests of suspects for illegally-tampered-with electrical infrastructure were made in November.
These arrests were made during raids to disconnect illegal connections, led by the Energy Department and the Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department.
Metro spokesperson Themba Gadebe said the metro has resorted to a harsher criminal justice process by using the new legislative framework (Criminal Matters Amendment Act No 18 of 2015).
“Initially, people accused of tampering with electrical equipment could be released on bail by a police officer or a prosecutor as the crime was deemed a minor offence,” Gadebe explained.
“The amended legislation provides that bail for persons accused of crimes related to essential infrastructure, such as water and electricity installations, may only be considered by a court, not police officers or prosecutors.
“The legislation has also provided for harsher minimum sentences, ranging from three to seven years for some essential infrastructure crimes and regulated theft of ferrous or non-ferrous metal which form part of essential infrastructure.”
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He added that municipal officials, contractors and companies that connect illegally to the power grid will face the harshest offences created by the legislation.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Water, Sanitation and Energy councillor Tiisetso Nketle reiterated that the metro has adopted a hard-line approach to illegal connection of electricity.
“In addition to the use of the criminal justice system to curb illegal connections, customers who are found to have connected illegally will face a back-billing from the day they stopped purchasing electricity,” Nketle said.
“The costs of disconnection and re-instating legal connection to a business customer are borne by the concerned customer.
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“For removing and re-instating a business customer connection that is found in a tampered state, the estimated cost of material, labour and transport, can be as high as close on R94 000,” she added.
Those who want to avoid the consequences of illegal connections can visit the nearest Energy Depot to normalise their connections.
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